Douglas Young

For far too long I have taken certain things for granted and not been thankful for who I am, what I have, and what I’ve experienced. Scripture says, “Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), but complying with such a directive takes a well-conditioned mind.

When considering life’s experiences, whether good or bad, we should be appreciative. If I live my life with a well-conditioned mind, as I live each moment for that moment, whether I make the right or wrong choice, I will appreciate the experience. I will enjoy the ride and learn from it. I will thank God that I was afforded the very opportunity.

Life is fast-paced, full of turns, and loaded with obstacles that we’ve got to be able to maneuver around.

Look around. The world is a mess. How are we supposed to navigate through life?

Some of us have our heads held too low. We’re depressed and discouraged. Let’s be honest, you just can’t see like that. As Jesus said, “Lift up your eyes…”

Some have their noses up in the air, suffocating themselves with self-glorification. People can’t see like that either. We must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think (Rom. 12:3).

Some of us exist with blinders on. We do not want to see things as they really are. We live in a state of denial. It’s time for some of us to accept the truth, so we see things here, as well as witness the unseen.

God calls us to see things as the really are!

Leonard Ravenhilll

For some things there are just no words. No matter how hard we try, the words we conjure up just don’t seem to do the job. And that is frustrating.

So it is with the love of Christ. How do you accurately explain it? It’s virtually impossible. Know why? Because it transcends human thinking capabilities. Don’t get me wrong, we can know the love of Christ, but maybe not like we would like to.

Paul’s prayer for Christians was that they be “rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19, ESV). I don’t think that knowing the love of Christ is a “head thing.” It’s a heart thing because that’s where he’s to dwell. Study will only get us so far. The love of Christ “that surpasses knowledge” has to be experienced.

What is it that stands out to us about Christ’s love? It’s what he did, namely, the offering of himself upon a cross for humanity. But for us to experience the transcendent love of Christ ,we must experience it with him by doing the things he did. It comes by teaching with relevance, serving with compassion, and giving with spiritual substance.

The matchless love of Christ transcends our words though. Words are the product of thought; thought is the product of knowledge; Christ’s love surpasses them all!

His real name was “Joseph,” but the apostles nicknamed him “Barnabas” (Son of Encouragement). Barnabas had sold a piece of property and gave the proceeds to the apostles that they might help the needy (Acts 4:37). Generosity of that sort must have been a tremendous source of encouragement to the apostles.

Later he would appeal to the same apostles in defense of one Saul of Tarsus, a Jewish enforcer and persecutor of early disciples (Acts 9:27). While traveling to Damascus to carry out orders, Saul was confronted by the Messiah, struck blind, and told to locate a man by the name of Ananias who lived in Damascus. He does and there Saul puts on Christ (Acts 9:1-19). This brings us back to Barnabas. It was Barnabas who made the case before the apostles for Saul to received into their fellowship. Though God had forgiven him of his past, the stench of death and persecution would follow him in the minds of others. Barnabas going to bat for Saul had to have been a great encouragement to him!

It seems to me that Barnabas’s confidence in Saul allowed them to forge a relationship conducive to the advancement of the new covenant cause. They do indeed join forces. They travel and work together establishing and encouraging churches.

Unfortunately, shortly after the Jerusalem conference, Paul (formerly Saul) and Barnabas get crossways over Barnabas’s cousin, John Mark (Acts 15:36-41). Apparently, John Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas while at Pamphylia (Acts 15:38). Paul had lost confidence in John Mark, but Barnabas, for whatever reason, hadn’t. Paul and Barnabas are so at odds with each other that they choose to go their separate ways. Eventually, Paul would have a change of heart with respect to his opinion of John Mark (2 Timothy 4:11), but Barnabas is never mentioned again in the Scriptures.

I don’t know whether Paul was misguided and Barnabas was right about John Mark to begin with or vice-versa, but I am certain that Barnabas’s willingness to stand behind his cousin had to be a confidence booster to John Mark. For whatever reason he had deserted Paul earlier and he might have been a lost cause for the rest of his life had someone not shown confidence in him. Thankfully, the “Son of Encouragement” was there for John Mark to supply the need!

Many of us have a lot to say, but what is it that we are going to say? Are we going to use our voices to be a source of encouragement to those who need it? Are we following the mold of Barnabas?

In the last couple of years, I’ve become enamored with the outdoors, mountaineering in particular. I read Outside Magazine, books by Jon Krakauer, as well as watch specials on mountaineering. I’ve learned a lot about the mountaineering culture; namely, it’s greatly concerned with environmental preservation. In my mind, this is a wonderful thing. But there’s something that goes on that really doesn’t make much sense; Mount Everest is a dump. 

Everest is literally the pinnacle of all peaks. At 29035 feet, on the planet you cannot ascend to any higher place on foot. Getting to the top takes months, and over the course of those months a person leaves more than mere footprints in snow. The most obtrusive items are discarded oxygen canisters. Climbing at that altitude almost always demands supplemental oxygen. Even with it, the task is so taxing that one must travel as light as possible. When one oxygen tank is empty, they simply remove the regulator, chunk the canister and replace it with a full one. The discards are just left there.

I respect the drive that mountaineers have to climb. I, too, respect the principles by which they tend to live their lives. But that respect is diminished by the fact that pragmatism prevails in certain circumstances like the one I mention. How do you take people seriously with respect to their principles when they are capriciously ignored so that they can climb a peak?

What must people think about Christians, who too play the pragmatism card, not living according to their profession? Several years ago, a prison study suggested that 84% of the United States prison population was professed “Christian.” It is believed that 81% of the US population professes to be “Christian.” These statistics are unbelievable. Even more incredible was that it is believed that anywhere from 8 to 15 % of the US population adheres to atheism, and yet only .2% of the prison population professes to be atheist. Doesn’t make much sense does it?

It seems to me, people just don’t tend to take their beliefs seriously. Sadly, Satan doesn’t have to work very hard to keep such people right where he wants them. How do you take people seriously who live so estranged from their “convictions?” Maybe they really aren’t convicted?

But what about us? Do our lives reflect Christ or another? We cannot serve “two masters” (Matthew 6:24), but it sure seems like we are trying. From God’s point of view, that doesn’t make much sense.

God apparently has a thing for mountains. In his creation they clearly stand out, both geographically and conceptually. “Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, You are God.” (Psalm 90:2). 

Abraham ascended Mount Moriah, the mountain upon which Jerusalem would later be built and Jesus would be offered, to offer his son of promise, Isaac (Genesis 22:14).

It was upon the Mountain of God, Horeb in the land of Midian, that Moses would be summoned to do his greatest work of all (Exodus 3:1). Aaron, Moses’ brother, would be told by God to reunite with Moses upon the same mountain to help the deliverance cause (Exodus 4:27). Later, upon Mount Sinai, God issued the law to Moses. There he remained for 40 days, in a uniquely special association with God!

David described God as a “mountain,” His “mountain” to be exact (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 18:2). A relationship with Him would be spoken of as life on God’s “holy mountain” (Psalm 15:1). So we shouldn’t be surprised that the dwelling place of God’s house in his kingdom would be spoken of as a “mountain” (Micah 4:1-2; Isaiah 2:2-4). You see, God apparently has a thing for mountains!

To understand Him and see Him for who He really is, we must go to the mountain of His house! This is the place unto which all are summoned to find Him. So life, the life with God, is really about ascending his holy hill and dwelling there. The implications are profound. Dwelling in “the house of God” is generally thought of as dwelling in heaven itself, but it’s really a lot more than that. 

More to come tomorrow!

For two Sundays now, I have used the “mountain of the Lord’s house” imagery of Micah 4:1-2 and Isaiah 2:2-4 as the basis for coming to know the God of salvation in His Kingdom and Covenant. The similar prophecies from contemporary prophets were pivotal to first century Jews, but to people of our era, they just don’t seem to resonate. In fact, for some of us, these passages have been nothing more than proof texts for when and where the kingdom would be established.

To prove a point, I asked the audience, “If you saw your obedience to the gospel as a kind of “ascension” to the mountain of God’s house, please raise your hand.” Not a single hand was raised. Why?

To be sure, mountain imagery hardly resonates with Texans. In other geographical locals, where mountains are a part of the landscape, such imagery might be more customary, but not so here.

Also, something can be said about the context of the Micah and Isaiah passages. They home in on the transition between Jewish and Christian covenants. For first century Jews, they were statements of meaning into which they could personally relate. God’s house had been the Jerusalem temple, but a new spiritual house would be erected. The temple or “house” imagery would naturally have spoken to them, but not so much so to us.

The great challenge is to find if we can help give this imagery meaning to us. I am convinced, due to its lack of significance, that something is woefully lacking in me. So for my own soul’s benefit, I am in the process of ascending God’s mountain, because I do not want to miss out on something that God might have intended for me to behold as I better come to know him.

Hebrews 12:14

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Admittedly, there are passages of Scripture that, simply stated, slap us right up side the face. We know they are there, yet we speak of them very infrequently. We steer clear of them if possible, but the fact is they are there and they command our attention every bit as much as more often cited passages. Hebrews 12:14, to me, is one such passage. 

A Christian’s business is not to make war in any way. Many confuse the fact that Christian’s are engaged in spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-17; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6) with the ongoing investment in the war process. This is most unfortunate because we tend to transpose current societal states of affairs and approaches upon spiritual states of affairs, and then begin fighting spiritual battles with worldly means. 

Jesus, “the way, truth and life” (John 14:6) came to show a better way. In his book, The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Way that Jesus is the Way, Eugene Peterson states, “Jesus is an alternative to the dominant ways of the world, not a supplement to them.” This couldn’t be more true. Jesus was legitimately bucking His culture, a hard sell to be sure, and yet it was with the intent of establishing a Way that will sustain God’s people for the long haul. God’s people will need it, for life is riddled with obstacles, distractions and disruptions.

The Jesus Way was a way of peace. Why? Because He had sealed the victory. His death, burial and resurrection secured it (1 Corinthians 15:50-58). The devil is defeated. He knows it. There’s nothing he can do about it, except try to bring as many people down with him. Isn’t this the message of Revelation? Consequently, this is why Jesus was tempted in the fashion He was by Satan (Matthew 4:1ff). Satan knew there was no way around the defeat, so he sought to throw Jesus off His Way. He offers Him “the kingdoms of the world” through an easier means other than the cross. I think He did so because he was resigned to defeat. Jesus’ Way of Life would not be thwarted by Satan, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or by anyone else for that matter. Inevitably, Satan hits us the same way.

The war in which we are engaged is personal. You and Satan are going at it. Satan and I are going at it. He is a sniper looking to take us out. He is the one who plants bombs in our lives, hoping we step on one of his many destructive land mines. 

So many have become Satan’s casualties and don’t even realize it. So our battle iss’t with them. Paul emphatically states such. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12), but rather our fight is with “rulers…authorities…cosmic powers…spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places (emphasis mine).” The unfortunate thing is that people, Satan’s casualties, are caught up in the chaos. So the Christ-like imperative is to make peace not war with them. This doesn’t mean we ignore sin and error. It means we, with the mindset and heart of Jesus, “save others by snatching them out of the fire” (Jude 23). But we do so and people striving for peace, not agitating war! This, unquestionably, is the Hebrews writer’s point in Hebrews 12:14. Whence did it come? Could it be anyone but Jesus (cf. Matthew 5:9)?

We do this, in part, by way of respect, treating people with dignity. Peter tells of the need to “Honor everyone” (1 Peter 2:17). Paul encourages to “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). When we resort to the often undignified tactics of war, it is impossible to treat people with dignity, respect and honor.

Our job is to strive to make peace with all of humanity. It is not to ridicule, belittle, denigrate and slander. Such  doesn’t reflect the mind of Christ. With Christ as our model, let us strive to make peace. Let’s speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Let them be won to Christ with grace, kindness and love!

Thank you Father for new beginnings: the opportunities to make things right, to wipe the slate clean, to purge out the old leaven, and hope for a better today!

Today is not the end of the weekend, it’s Sunday, the first day of the week. It’s the day that Jesus was discovered to not be found in the tomb. Teach us God to appreciate it for it’s tremendous significance.

New beginnings. Today. Not tomorrow! Today! Thank you for new beginnings!